Nate Burleson loves to talk and is always a great quote. He phoned in for an 18-minute interview with Zig Fracassi & Keith Bulluck on NFL Radio.Below is a full transcript from the interview. If you have the time, the whole thing is worth a read. If you prefer to listen to the interview, you can do so by clicking here.What does Matthew Stafford have that can make him great?"Well, you know, Stafford is one of those young, gunslinger types. When I first got there, I remember people telling me how fast the ball comes out of his hand and how much of a rocket he has. Then I actually got on the field with him and realized they were telling the truth."The one thing I really noticed about him last season was he really came into his own. I remember playing with Daunte (Culpepper), and the one thing I can say about him, when he was on the top of his game, he could bullet as fast as anybody in the league, but he knew how to place balls with finesse when he needed to, and that's what Matt was able to do last year. For him to make the transition from a gunslinging, throw it as fast as you can every time I get the ball, to a guy that can pick and choose how to utilize his strength, that kind of put him in the more elite quarterbacks. In my opinion, he's a top-five quarterback in the league right now."How nice was it to have a healthy Stafford last season?"Every player knows most teams are good, and everybody has a chance to make a run for the Super Bowl, but what gives you the best opportunity is health. If you can have the big guns on your team healthy for the majority of the season, you're going to have a chance to make a splash. That's what happened with us. Luckily, for Matt, he didn't give up on himself. He didn't go into the tank those years where he was banged up. There's a lot of quarterbacks, a lot of players in general, who have injuries and can never bounce back, have that capacity, mentally, to get back to where they want to be. Luckily for him, the organization stood behind him, had faith in him, and he utilized that time off to be able to look at the game from an outside perspective. Even when he was banged up, he was getting those reps. He was in situations last year that he had never been in physically, but mentally saw from the sideline, and that helped him a lot."What's it like playing with Calvin Johnson?"It's unbelievable, man. I played with (Randy) Moss for two years and I've seen amazing plays. I've seen absolute greatness every day. People don't understand, the plays I saw at practice were much better than what he gave the world on Sundays. So Moss to me, was the greatest. I thought to myself, I will play this game for however long it lasts and I will never see a talent like that. Then I signed with the Detroit Lions, and I play with Calvin Johnson, and he is everything and more."He's a tremendous talent, like everybody knows -- physically gifted. He can go out there and bench with the linebackers on our team, he can with the fastest running back on our team. He goes out there and runs go routes like Randy, then gets in the slot and runs inside routes like Wes Welker. To top it off, he's humble, coachable and he approaches the game with such passion. That's probably the best part about playing with him is that he's not a diva. He's one of those guys that just shows up for work. He actually practices and lift weights like he's trying to make the team, as if he's a free agent trying to impress the coaching staff."On how exciting it is to be on this team that is on such an upswing:"It's unbelievable. I remember when I signed with Detroit. I had a chance to sign back with Seattle, and I was thinking to myself, we've got an organization out here in Seattle with a new coaching staff and you never know what's going to happen with that. Sometimes coaches come in and clean house and that's what happened out here. I thought I'd have a good chance of helping out a team in Detroit with Linehan being the offensive coordinator I had in Minnesota and a few players already there that I knew. I just thought Detroit was heading in the right direction."With all that said, my own personal reasons for going there, people still gave me a hard time about signing with Detroit. Even my son at the time, who I think was four years old, and I said, 'Daddy is going to play for a new team.' He responded with this high-pitched voice, 'Detroit!?' I thought to myself, even my son knows Detroit isn't that good, but I signed anyway."The one thing that motivated me was the fans. I would go to the grocery store, go to the mall, just hang out and meet random people -- anybody that knows me, I'll stop and talk to you about anything. Most of the people just wanted to talk about football, and they'd say, 'We're just waiting. We're just patiently waiting for you guys to do something. It's not about winning Super Bowls, it's not about making the playoffs, just play like you want to be on the field. Play with passion and just make us proud.' That's all they were saying. It was like a grandfather saying, 'Just go out and play with heart and I'll be happy.' And that's what we did the first year that I got there. We were 6-10 and we did play with passion. I remember I had my radio show out there and people were saying, 'We're just glad you're playing like you care.'"The following year we had to up that. Now we've got the passion, now we care about the color of our jersey and the logo on our helmet, now let's try do something a little bit better and that's making the playoffs. Obviously, now my third year being there, we've got to up that. We made the playoffs last year, and that was okay, and a lot of people loved it. For a lot of fans that was like a Super Bowl in Detroit, but for the guys that put on the helmet, that's not enough. We definitely really want to bring a championship back to Michigan."On coach Jim Schwartz's mentality and approach:"I really commend Schwartz on his approach to the team because he has a great balance of being a hard-nosed, no-nonsense, zero-tolerance coach, but it's a subtle blend of also being a caring, concerned players coach. For me, being 10 years in, that's what I like. I like a coach that can jump down my throat when I make a bad play, but can see me in the hallway and ask me how my family is doing. That kind of makes everything feel like a family atmosphere."Obviously, people who watch the Detroit Lions, or caught us on TV a couple of times, you can see how passionate he is. He's chest-bumping, doing the Tigers Woods fist pump all over the place. That's the type of coach we like. There are times, I remember my first year, I got into the end zone, and I was so excited I just punted the ball into the stands. Obviously, a flag came out and he grabbed me, and most coaches would probably say something to tear down a player, but he said, 'Look, the play was awesome. I love how you got into the end zone, and I love the celebration, but try not to do it again.' It was almost like he knew I was a vet, and he knew I understood I messed up, so he just kind of like he told me, 'I understand what happened. I know you got caught up in the moment. Just try to not let it happen again.' That's the type of stuff I appreciate about Jim."What has to happen for this team to make the next step?"Obviously, we've got to tie up the loose ends with our maturity. You can't afford to make mistakes. That starts with the offseason, making sure everybody is doing the right things, doing exactly what they need to do. Going into the season, not making mistakes late in the game. For us, we're a very passionate team, so we usually start out pretty good and come out in the second half with a lot of energy, but there's been mistakes made in the third and fourth quarters that have cost us games."With that said, we still have to approach each game, each practice, each week with the mindset that we're not where we need to be. We haven't arrived. We haven't done anything. That's what I kept saying when I got to Detroit to some of these guys, 'We haven't done anything. Yeah, we won a game, that's cool, but we haven't done anything. Okay, we're 6-10, but we haven't done anything. Okay, we're 5-0 last year, but we haven't done anything yet.' We have to continue to remind everybody that there's something missing in Michigan. We still haven't gotten rid of this dark cloud hanging over the sports in Detroit. We've got to stay humble, stay hungry, and know that our division is tough. If we can go out there and make a splash in our own division, we'll have a chance to go out and do something special for that chase for a championship."When you talk about maturity off the field are you referencing the marijuana arrests?"Yeah, definitely. There are things that happen in the offseason, and coach Schwartz talked about it immediately when we got to work a few weeks ago. Obviously, there were some players that talked to the young guys in their own groups, just trying to remind them how close we really are. It's one thing to be on rebuilding team and mistakes like that are swept under a rug because we don't have a chance to make the playoffs, or a chance to make a push for the championship, but we are a team that's close. We're not in a rebuilding stage. These aren't the Detroit Lions of old. We're trying to make sure everybody is on the same page."A lot of people were upset saying, 'Get on these young boys. Make sure you get to work and you cuss them out, grab them by the shoulders and shake them up.' I understand what people are saying, but in life in general, we all make mistakes. With an analogy close to football, I said on the NFL Network that you have to fumble first to learn great ball security. You have to look at it that way in life. These guys are going to have to make mistakes in order to really learn how to take care of what's really important, what they cherish the most, and that's an opportunity to play a great game and get paid a lot of money."Who are some of the other veteran leaders in the locker room?"It's great that you brought that up because we do have a lot that really care about the organization and that have that voice and get that respect because they've played so long. I've got to commend Mayhew and the organization for bringing those types of guys in. Honestly, I try to talk when I can. I don't try to step on the toes of the captains. Vanden Bosch is the type of guy when he speaks, everybody shuts up and they listen., even myself. You respect a guy that shows up for work every day and gives you nothing less than 100 percent."Stafford is coming along in his own way. Even though he's a young guy, he's just been through so much. He's starting to embrace his role as a leader on this team. Dominic Raiola, he's obviously one of high-motor, passionate individuals. When he opens his mouth, people are going to pay attention."The guys that we have on our team, they definitely know how to get the team going. Even Calvin, we talked about him before, most people think he's quiet and doesn't say much. One, he always goes out and leads by example. He's always first in conditioning. He's always pushing us in the weight room. Then, on top of that, he does speak. When things are not going the right way, when guys aren't going the right things, when receivers are out there slouching, he'll tighten up the group and say, 'Let's get it together. Let's finish practice strong and get on the right page.'"What are you working on to improve your game?"I think the thing right now is catching the ball. I had 73 catches. I'm usually in the trenches, running around in the slot, and obviously a lot of throws and catches are going to be contested, but I want to tighten down the ratio of how many balls are thrown to me and how many I catch. Last year was the most catches I've had in my career, so I want to shoot for the most yards I've had in my career this year. It's tough because you don't want to make your goals too lofty playing with Calvin Johnson. You have a huge supporting cast of offensive weapons, but really, I think the biggest motivational factor for me is as I get a little bit older each year, the guys coming in get a little bit younger. That's the nature of the game. In order for me to continue to play, to continue to be asked to be part of a team, to continue to get paid a lot of money to play such a great sport, I'm going to have to prove I can compete with a lot of these young guys and that they're going to have to catch up to me. The day I'm trying to catch up with the young guys that they bring in, that's when I'll understand I'm not the player I used to be. But when I'm out there working, lifting, running, and doing what I need to do each day, and these young guys are following my lead, and they're telling me you're looking good, looking fast, looking strong, I know I'm still at the top of my game."Does Junior Seau's suicide make you wonder how long you want to keep playing the game?"For sure, I definitely see things that concern me. Obviously, the passing of Seau shocked just about everybody, people within the sport of football and outside. Then individuals in the sport passing at an early age. I think I heard a stat that the average football player passes 10-15 years earlier than the average man. That's just alarming. At the same time -- and I hate to sound callous and don't want anyone to misunderstand me and think I'm just trying to be tough by saying this -- it's kind of what we sign up for. It's the risk and reward of what we do. When we get paid this much money, and get put up on this type of stage, for however long we can play in this career, there are things that you have to understand that come along with the game."For me, with all the rule changes I'm been able to play with, and the protection added for offensive and defensive players, for me to kind of whine about getting a little banged up now, it's almost like I'm slapping the older veterans in the face because I grew up watching players from the 70s, 80s and 90s, and their game was a lot more brutal than mine. It's one of those things I'll closely keep an eye on and just hope and pray when I'm done playing, I'll have enough physical ability to run around and play catch with my son and baby girl."

AND THIS!

Sorry, but I hear way too much talk about how Broyles was brought in to replace Burleson, what He has given to Detroit vocally, and what he has given to the Lions organization can't be drafted or taught. The team will stand by his side as he has, since he was brought in to a 2 - 30 team *(0 - 16, then 2 - 14). Since he got here the Lions are 16 - 16. And keep getting better. nuff said

Ferris, that was a great read. Thanks for posting that candy for football starved Lions fans

_________________Just one Super Bowl win before I go!

May 18th, 2012, 1:32 am

wjb21ndtown

Re: Nate Burleson

What I hate about Nate's "leadership" is its all lipservice bullsh!t. Nate talks about "maturity" being one of the "problems" with the team, but HE'S THE ONE THAT DROPPED THE MOST BALLS OUT OF OUR WRs. That's ridiculous. Is he not "mature" after 9 years in the league? When Nate talks all I hear is "blah blah blah," because he flat out doesn't get it done on the field. He doesn't get separation, he doesn't make the tough catches, he doesn't have great hands, he's an over-paid mediocre WR that says the right things at the right times.

May 18th, 2012, 1:38 pm

TheRealWags

Megatron

Joined: December 31st, 2004, 9:55 amPosts: 12509

Re: Nate Burleson

wjb21ndtown wrote:

What I hate about Nate's "leadership" is its all lipservice bullsh!t. Nate talks about "maturity" being one of the "problems" with the team, but HE'S THE ONE THAT DROPPED THE MOST BALLS OUT OF OUR WRs. That's ridiculous. Is he not "mature" after 9 years in the league? When Nate talks all I hear is "blah blah blah," because he flat out doesn't get it done on the field. He doesn't get separation, he doesn't make the tough catches, he doesn't have great hands, he's an over-paid mediocre WR that says the right things at the right times.

I think this part covers what you're referring to:

Quote:

What are you working on to improve your game?"I think the thing right now is catching the ball. I had 73 catches. I'm usually in the trenches, running around in the slot, and obviously a lot of throws and catches are going to be contested, but I want to tighten down the ratio of how many balls are thrown to me and how many I catch. Last year was the most catches I've had in my career, so I want to shoot for the most yards I've had in my career this year. It's tough because you don't want to make your goals too lofty playing with Calvin Johnson. You have a huge supporting cast of offensive weapons, but really, I think the biggest motivational factor for me is as I get a little bit older each year, the guys coming in get a little bit younger. That's the nature of the game. In order for me to continue to play, to continue to be asked to be part of a team, to continue to get paid a lot of money to play such a great sport, I'm going to have to prove I can compete with a lot of these young guys and that they're going to have to catch up to me. The day I'm trying to catch up with the young guys that they bring in, that's when I'll understand I'm not the player I used to be. But when I'm out there working, lifting, running, and doing what I need to do each day, and these young guys are following my lead, and they're telling me you're looking good, looking fast, looking strong, I know I'm still at the top of my game."

All in all, I see him being with this team this year, but prolly not next year unless he's willing to take much less $$$.

_________________

Quote:

Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right....

May 18th, 2012, 2:26 pm

wjb21ndtown

Re: Nate Burleson

Quote:

"Obviously, we've got to tie up the loose ends with our maturity. You can't afford to make mistakes. That starts with the offseason, making sure everybody is doing the right things, doing exactly what they need to do. Going into the season, not making mistakes late in the game. For us, we're a very passionate team, so we usually start out pretty good and come out in the second half with a lot of energy, but there's been mistakes made in the third and fourth quarters that have cost us games.

That's what I was talking about.

Quote:

What are you working on to improve your game?"I think the thing right now is catching the ball. I had 73 catches. I'm usually in the trenches, running around in the slot, and obviously a lot of throws and catches are going to be contested, but I want to tighten down the ratio of how many balls are thrown to me and how many I catch. Last year was the most catches I've had in my career, so I want to shoot for the most yards I've had in my career this year. It's tough because you don't want to make your goals too lofty playing with Calvin Johnson. You have a huge supporting cast of offensive weapons, but really, I think the biggest motivational factor for me is as I get a little bit older each year, the guys coming in get a little bit younger. That's the nature of the game. In order for me to continue to play, to continue to be asked to be part of a team, to continue to get paid a lot of money to play such a great sport, I'm going to have to prove I can compete with a lot of these young guys and that they're going to have to catch up to me. The day I'm trying to catch up with the young guys that they bring in, that's when I'll understand I'm not the player I used to be. But when I'm out there working, lifting, running, and doing what I need to do each day, and these young guys are following my lead, and they're telling me you're looking good, looking fast, looking strong, I know I'm still at the top of my game."

The bolded part I have a problem with. Most on here agree that a 2nd year 2nd round draft pick is head and shoulders above Nate B, right now. They don't have to "catch him," they've already passed him, which is why he doesn't deserve his coin.

Great read. Articles like this make me want the season to start next week.

_________________I was at this casino minding my own business, and this guy came up to me and said, "You're gonna have to move, you're blocking a fire exit." As though if there was a fire, I wasn't gonna run. If you're flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a fire exit

May 18th, 2012, 8:18 pm

DisgruntledFan

Walk On

Joined: December 12th, 2008, 1:42 amPosts: 399Location: Michiana

Re: Nate Burleson

While I also don't think he's fulfilling the role he was SUPPOSED TO you can't deny the leadership he's giving. If Broyles starts the season healthy and shows his potential and Titus keeps improving Burleson probably won't have much of a role, but I think it's worth keeping him around if he takes a pay cut.

_________________Same Old Lions, just a different year....

May 20th, 2012, 1:52 am

thelomasbrowns

Player of the Year - Offense

Joined: August 24th, 2010, 9:54 pmPosts: 2855

Re: Nate Burleson

Can we put this in perspective a bit? The guy caught 73 passes last year and he's due around $4 mil this year. That's by no means exorbitant for that kind of solid production--a lot of teams would kill for that.

_________________"Good teams don't worry about a whole lot of stuff. They travel, they play, they win. And it doesn't matter where they go, what the time block is, all those kinds of things. They never seem to bother teams that play well, and we want to be one of those teams." -Jim Caldwell

May 20th, 2012, 7:28 am

kdsberman

League MVP

Joined: February 20th, 2007, 10:51 pmPosts: 3527Location: Saginaw, MI

Re: Nate Burleson

thelomasbrowns wrote:

Can we put this in perspective a bit? The guy caught 73 passes last year and he's due around $4 mil this year. That's by no means exorbitant for that kind of solid production--a lot of teams would kill for that.

Well said.

May 20th, 2012, 9:47 pm

wjb21ndtown

Re: Nate Burleson

kdsberman wrote:

thelomasbrowns wrote:

Can we put this in perspective a bit? The guy caught 73 passes last year and he's due around $4 mil this year. That's by no means exorbitant for that kind of solid production--a lot of teams would kill for that.

Well said.

I can't agree. Nate was brought in here to be an "eraser," meaning, his signing was supposed to take pressure off of CJ and force teams to stop double covering CJ. He's failed miserably in that regard, and he's over-paid given his responsibilities on this team and his failure to fulfill them, period. Nate is a horrible #2 WR, and a mediocre slot WR, and he's paid more than most #2 WRs in the league. That really is the end of the story. The fact that he caught 73 passes on a team that throws for 5,000 yards is irrelevant. He has less yards than any WR that has caught more than 64 passes, and he caught a whopping 3 TDs last year. His average YPC is the 6th LOWEST in the entire league.

Mario Manningham, for instance, signed for $400k less than what Nate is making this year, and Nate's contract for next year is almost what Manningham's contract is for TWO YEARS. That's just flat out ridiculous.

May 21st, 2012, 10:53 am

thelomasbrowns

Player of the Year - Offense

Joined: August 24th, 2010, 9:54 pmPosts: 2855

Re: Nate Burleson

Quote:

Anwar Richardson ‏@AnwarRichardson#Lions WR Titus Young is not allowed back at Allen Park until the team decides to have him back #NFL

_________________"Good teams don't worry about a whole lot of stuff. They travel, they play, they win. And it doesn't matter where they go, what the time block is, all those kinds of things. They never seem to bother teams that play well, and we want to be one of those teams." -Jim Caldwell

May 21st, 2012, 12:44 pm

Killwill25

Rookie Player of the Year

Joined: March 5th, 2009, 8:42 pmPosts: 2422Location: Brooklyn, NY

Re: Nate Burleson

titus young really needs to grow the hell up. heres to a speedy recovery for ryan broyles. young is good but i dont trust headcases

_________________Just one Super Bowl win before I go!

May 21st, 2012, 1:42 pm

wjb21ndtown

Re: Nate Burleson

Why don't you guys understand that problems elsewhere on the team are not an excuse for over paying someone else. If we cut Nate and signed Mario Manningham and saved $3 million dollars over the next two seasons would it matter that Young punched Delmas?

May 21st, 2012, 2:02 pm

sweetd20

Pro Bowl Player

Joined: October 13th, 2005, 9:03 amPosts: 2490

Re: Nate Burleson

What has Mario done besides his last game you saw him play? He is one of the most inconsistant WRs in the league but he has a big Super Bowl and gets paid. If he can put together a couple good years in SF I'll change my opinion but right now it smells like Larry Brown getting paid after his big Super Bowl. I'm indifferent on Burleson but right now he isn't drastically being overpaid to the point his contract is severely hindering the Lions. As far as him limiting double teams on Calvin, there aren't many WRs in this league that are going to be found that aren't making quite a bit more than Nate. If anything a player like Nate helps players like Young and Pettigrew find a little more space. He isn't a future HOF but he is good enough that his man can't cheat off of him and jump other routes.

May 21st, 2012, 3:31 pm

wjb21ndtown

Re: Nate Burleson

sweetd20 wrote:

What has Mario done besides his last game you saw him play? He is one of the most inconsistant WRs in the league but he has a big Super Bowl and gets paid. If he can put together a couple good years in SF I'll change my opinion but right now it smells like Larry Brown getting paid after his big Super Bowl. I'm indifferent on Burleson but right now he isn't drastically being overpaid to the point his contract is severely hindering the Lions. As far as him limiting double teams on Calvin, there aren't many WRs in this league that are going to be found that aren't making quite a bit more than Nate. If anything a player like Nate helps players like Young and Pettigrew find a little more space. He isn't a future HOF but he is good enough that his man can't cheat off of him and jump other routes.

Sweet, how can you say "Mario got paid," yet he makes nearly HALF of what Burleson gets paid? Mario AT LEAST had one great game and won a SB, Nate hasn't done JACK SH!T! You want to talk about inconsistent? Nate drops a ton of balls too, gets NO separation, and isn't a deep threat. Inconsistent or not, AT LEAST Mario is a deep threat that needs to be contended with. Nate is quite literally, nothing.

So, let me get this straight, that because Nate draws coverage at least from ONE CB, LB, he's earning is paycheck? Give me a break, any #2 in the league would garnish that type of coverage.

Quote:

there aren't many WRs in this league that are going to be found that aren't making quite a bit more than Nate

That statement is flat out not true. Nate makes more than most #2s in the league, and he's barely a #3.